This invention relates to floor mats such as
those used in the passenger compartments of automobiles.
Floor mats of the type found in automobiles generally are made of a combination of an elastomeric material (e.g., rubber) and a carpeted material. Typically the carpeted material is attached to a rubber backing layer by any of various methods. Unfortunately the layers of these mats tend to separate at the edges of the mat when the mat is in use.
Various methods have been used to provide additional strength to the attachment between layers of the mat to prevent the separation of the mats layers at the edge. For example, methods include or surging yarn over the edges of the mat or a tape may be placed covering the edge of the mat and then stitched to the mat. A disadvantage of this is that the stitching holding the edging tape to the mat also tends to wear out with use and the tape separates from the mat. Furthermore, the tape and stitching must be added to the mat after the mat has been molded, thereby adding an additional manufacturing step.
Another problem is that the mats have a tendency to move or shift due to the action of the driver's or passenger's feet on the mat. Various efforts have been made to prevent slippage by use of permanent retention means such as hooks, snap fasteners, Velcro.RTM. strips and the like. However, none of these are commercially successful because they tend to distract from aesthetics of the mat. Another solution is to use an array of downwardly extending projections or "nibs" to reduce slippage such as proposed, for example in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,991 to Reuben. An alternative solution is to use a tacky adhesive on the undersurface of the mat such as proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,850 to Rockett et al. A combination of nibs and tacky adhesive has also been proposed in commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 07/642,926 filed Jan. 18, 1991, and a combination of nibs and polyurethane foam has been proposed in commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 07/687,234 filed Apr. 18, 1991.
It would be highly desirable to provide a floor mat which does not have the need for edge stitching, taping, or the like while eliminating the slippage problems associated with conventional floor mats.